SIGN OFFS:
Rosalie Trombley, 82, on Nov. 23, of complications from Alzheimer’s. Originally hailing from Leamington, ON, Trombley was initially hired at Windsor-Detroit Top 40 powerhouse CKLW-AM “The Big 8“ as a switchboard operator and receptionist in 1963. She eventually accepted a position in the station’s music library and by 1968 had moved into the role of music director. Trombley quickly established herself as “the girl with the golden ear,” because of the influence her playlist additions had on a single’s success. Due to the station’s 50,000 watt reach, which saw CKLW attract an audience beyond Windsor-Detroit into southwestern Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana, her name became synonymous with hit radio with a 1973 Globe and Mail article dubbing her “Queen of the Top 40 Charts.” She is credited with helping break acts like Bob Seger, Kiss, Alice Cooper, The O’Jays, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament–Funkadelic, Queen, and Aerosmith into the Top 40 CHR charts. She also helped Canadian artists gain recognition in the U.S., including Gordon Lightfoot, The Guess Who, Paul Anka, Bachman Turner Overdrive, and Burton Cummings. One of the few women to hold a music director role at the time, Trombley’s run with CKLW extended from 1968 to 1984, through the station’s format transition away from Top 40. She went on to work with WLTI-FM Detroit and CKEY Toronto. In 2005, the Radio Trailblazers established the Rosalie Award, annually presented to a Canadian woman who has blazed new trails in radio. Trombley was its inaugural recipient. Among other accolades, she was inducted into Detroit’s Motor City Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame. She was honoured with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the JUNO Awards in 2016. Read more here.
Peter Aykroyd, 66, on Nov. 20. Alongside his older brother, Dan Aykroyd, Peter was part of the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto. After early acting appearances on SCTV, The New Avengers and Tom Schiller short, Java Junkie, Akyroyd went on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in its fifth season in 1979-80. During his one-year stint with the show, he received an Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program Emmy nomination, along with several other writers. He continued to act throughout the 1980s and early ‘90s, embarking on several projects with his brother, including co-writing 1991 feature film, Nothing But Trouble. He went on to co-create PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, which had an 88-episode run. He also provided the voice of Elwood Blues for the 1997 The Blues Brothers: Animated Series adaptation, alongside Jim Belushi, in addition to small roles in Spies Like Us, Dragnet and Coneheads.
Sally Gardner, 75, on Nov. 20. A former CBC Vancouver script and continuity supervisor, Gardner served as script supervisor on 36 episodes of The Beachcombers. Among the other series she worked on was Vancouver-shot 1970s sitcom Leo and Me. Gardner was one of four people – along with director Don S. Williams and actor Michael J. Fox, in addition to a cameraman – who worked together between 1976 and 1980 and were all diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s. The cluster was the subject of CBC documentary “The Parkinson’s Enigma” in 2002. Gardner lived with the disease for 39 years. Her husband was retired CBC Vancouver technical director and producer Derek Gardner.
Bill Hughes, 96, on Nov. 15. Growing up in New Westminster, BC, Hughes dreamed of being on the radio. He managed to get hired by CJAT in Trail, BC at age 19, working in the record library and signing the station on in the morning, among other tasks, before returning to Metro Vancouver and CKWX. He joined CKNW a year later as a newsreader and host, and eventually took over the station’s “Roving Mike” segment which saw Hughes engage with strangers, many times aboard local transit or tour buses, six times a week from 8:45 – 9 a.m. By the time Hughes retired in 1994, he had produced more than 15,000 Roving Mike segments. About a decade into his career, in 1954, Hughes was named General Manager of CKNW, one of the youngest people in the country to hold a GM position, which he remained in for 14 years. In the late 1950s, he joined Frank Griffiths (who went on to found Western International Communications (WIC)) and lawyer Walter Owen, in the purchase of CKNW from original licensee Bill Rae. Hughes sold his six per cent interest in the station in 1970 for $4 million.
Phyllis Webb, 94, on Nov. 11, on Salt Spring Island. Born in Victoria, BC, Webb studied English and Philosophy and was a published, contemporary feminist poet prior to joining the CBC in 1964. Alongside William A. Young, she co-created long-running CBC Radio One program, Ideas. She served as the program’s executive producer from 1967-69. She went on to create CBC Television program, Extension, a series about Canadian poetry. She continued to freelance for the public broadcaster throughout the 1970s, before moving on to teach creative writing at the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and the Banff Centre. Webb won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry in 1982. In 1992, she became an Officer of the Order of Canada.
REVOLVING DOOR:
Mora Austin, GM, Radio & TV, Central and Northern Ontario was a casualty of the latest round of restructuring at Bell Media which predominantly hit Ontario radio. She was formerly Vice-President of Larche Communications from 2000-18 when it was sold to Bell Media and a Past President of the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB). In addition to previously-published departures, those no longer with the company include: Craig Pfeifer, Program Director at 97.7 HTZ FM (CHTZ-FM) and Newstalk 610 CKTB St. Catharines, and BNN Bloomberg 1150, (CKOC-AM) and Funny 820 (CHAM-AM) Hamilton; Steve Young, Director of News & Information Programming Bell Media London, who oversaw radio and television news at CTV London & 1290 CJBK; Nancy Hunt, Music Director and announcer at Move 100 (CJMJ-FM) Ottawa; and Tracy McBride, a General Sales Manager & Digital Sales Advisor, based in Pembroke.
Rick Campanelli has joined Evanov’s flagship station Z103.5 FM (CIDC-FM) Toronto, alongside Sandra Crofford, who formerly hosted the station’s midday show. Campanelli, 51, who rose to Canadian pop culture icon status as “Rick the Temp” during his decade-long run with MuchMusic, went on to report for ET Canada for 12 years. He previously had a brief run in radio as a morning show co-host on Toronto’s 102.1 The Edge (CFNY-FM) in 2016, alongside Fred Kennedy and Melanie Mariani. Crofford also did a previous stint with 102.1 The Edge as a swing host in the mid-2000s. In addition to previously hosting middays and afternoons in two separate stints with Z103.5, she’s also been on-air at 104.5 CHUM FM, 99.9 Virgin Radio (CKFM-FM) and CHYM 96.7 as well as Evanov’s Hot 100.5 (CFJL-FM) Winnipeg. Read more here.
Stefanie Masotti is CTV News Windsor’s new weekday anchor for CTV News at Six and CTV News at 11. Masotti will assume the role Feb. 28, 2022. She began her career reporting for CTV Ottawa before returning home to join CTV Windsor as a reporter and later anchor of the weekend editions of CTV News at Six and CTV News at 11.
Taylor Rattray has left CTV News Regina. Rattray first joined the network as a reporter in 2015 at CTV Saskatoon. She’d been an anchor and video journalist with the Regina bureau since 2017.
Tamara Slobogean is leaving CityNews Vancouver to join the Invasive Species Council of BC as Communications Manager. Slobogean has been in various roles at Rogers Vancouver for the past two decades, from morning show reporter at News 1130 (CKWX-AM) to Supervising Producer of Breakfast Television in Vancouver and Calgary. For the last year, she’s been Managing Editor – News & Integration for CityNews across radio and TV.
Hana Mae Nassar has assumed Managing Editor duties for CityNews 660 (CFFR-AM) Calgary and its digital product. Nassar joined CityNews 1130 (CKWX-AM) Vancouver in 2017 as a part-time reporter while pursuing Journalism at BCIT. She’ll continue to be based in Vancouver.
Shalinda Kirby has moved on from the Power 97 (CJKR-FM) Winnipeg morning show, which she co-hosted alongside Phil Aubrey and Joe Aiello who remain in the timeslot. Kirby, who’d been with Corus Winnipeg since 2018, is joining 92 CITI FM in afternoon drive as of Nov. 29, posting that she’ll eventually be part of a revamped morning show.
Gregger has left the morning show at 98 Cool FM (CJMK-FM) Saskatoon to join Global Saskatoon as a tech producer for the morning show. He’s been paired with various co-hosts on the show since 2016. Sarah Wallace remains on the morning show, alongside Saskatoon Media Group Program Director and longtime station personality Steve Chisholm.
Melanie Adams, who has been co-hosting the Rebel 101.7 (CIDG-FM) Ottawa morning show for the last three years, has left the station to take on a new role with the Ottawa Hospital Foundation. Prior to joining Rebel in 2018, Adams was a co-host and news anchor with Bell Media in Ottawa for a decade.
Art Aronson, who has helmed news at 100.3 The Q! (CKKQ-FM) Victoria for the last four years, has left broadcasting to take on a new job in communications for the provincial government. The 2011 BCIT Radio & TV grad completed his Master’s Degree in Communication and Media Studies at Royal Roads University earlier this year. Prior to joining The Q in 2017, Aronson was an anchor and reporter with CFAX 1070.
Ari Rabinovitch has left his traffic reporting gig with the Canadian Traffic Network (CTN). Rabinovitch has supplied airborne traffic reports on stations, including Global News Toronto and Corus Radio stations Q107 (CILQ-FM) and AM 640 (CFMJ-AM) for the past decade.
It’s never been so hard to say GOODBYE! 😭
Today is my last flight and last day reporting for @globalnewsto @Q107Toronto @am640
I’ll be staying in the industry with more updates to come.
–
Helicopters are fun, but it’s the people I work with I’ll miss the most. pic.twitter.com/haTJPwsFMb— Ari Rabinovitch (@Ari_Traffic) November 19, 2021
MC Mario Tremblay has ended a 30-year run on Montreal airwaves as the host of the MC Mario House Party, which aired Saturday nights on 95.9 Virgin Radio (CJFM-FM). Tremblay had been a staple on the station since 1991 following a brief stint with Energie 94.3 (CKMF-FM).
DJ Darko (aka Stephen Munga) is the new host of campus and community station weekly Top 20 countdown, !earshot 20. Munga is also the host of Chill Rose Radio, which airs on 101.7 CIVL-FM Abbotsford and is also available as a podcast.
Sheila Ritson-Bennett is Corus Entertainment’s first Head of Environment and Sustainability. In the newly-created role, Ritson-Bennett will work with leaders across the company to shape Corus’ broader environment, social and governance (ESG) strategy while providing legal and industry counsel on related social and policy matters. Ritson-Bennett most recently held sustainability and risk management roles with BMO Financial Group and TD. She also has extensive experience within the Ontario government, as legal counsel at the Ministries of Natural Resources, Forestry and Energy with expertise in regulatory, environmental, trade and aboriginal law.
Mehernaz Lentin is Telefilm’s new National Director, Feature Film – English Market for a five-year term, starting Dec. 6. Lentin was previously Senior Director of CBC Films, responsible for overseeing the funding and pre-licensing of Canadian features for broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem. Prior to joining CBC in 2017, Lentin was an independent producer. Telefilm’s Regional Feature Film Executives will report directly to her.
Kelly Wilhelm, Canada Media Fund’s Chief Strategy Officer, has left the organization to take a federal Chief of Staff role with the Minister of Sport and Minister of Economic Development for Quebec, Pascale St-Onge. A 20-year arts & culture strategist, Wilhelm took on the newly-created role at CMF in 2019, tasked with helping set the future trajectory of the organization. She’s previously worked as a senior policy advisor for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Curtis White is joining Network Entertainment as a Business Development Executive for Network NFT Studios and an Executive Producer for emerging content initiatives. White was part of the founding group of Vancouver’s Thunderbird Entertainment and spent more than a decade there in a number of positions on both the corporate and creative side. His past roles include Business Development, Investor Relations, and most recently Head of Digital for the Thunderbird Group of Companies.
Carolyn Newman has been appointed EVP, Global Scripted, and Virginia Rankin in-house Executive Producer, at Canadian-headquartered Blink Studios. Based in Los Angeles and reporting to CEO John Morayniss, Newman will focus on the development of scripted content for the newly-launched indie studio. Based in Toronto, Rankin will work closely with Newman to discover new and diverse voices in Canada and internationally. Newman joins Blink from Will Packer Media, where she served as Head of Scripted Television and Production. She was previously Director of Original Series for Netflix and prior to that SVP of Scripted Programming at Entertainment One. Rankin is an independent producer working across scripted development and production. She served as Executive Producer of Sphere Media medical drama Transplant, and prior to that was Executive Producer of four seasons of police drama 19-2 (CTV).
RADIO & PODCAST:
Vanessa Murphy, morning show host at Bounce 91.9 (CKLY-FM), Lindsay, ON (and the Canadian Radio Awards winner for Best Solo Host (Music) – Small Market), was named the runner-up in the 2021 Radio Star competition, hosted by Nails Mahoney and Tracey Lee of OnAirCoach. The global competition, which began in March and was judged by radio presenters from around the world, saw Rosa Serret – a student at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, UK – crowned the winner.
LISTEN: Q101 (CKMQ-FM) Merritt is a small Pattison Media-owned station in B.C.’s Nicola Valley. With a staff of just three, the radio station is the only broadcast media outlet located in the community that was evacuated Nov. 15 after torrential rain that triggered flooding and mudslides in the region. Q101 is continuing to carry on operations from sister station B100 (CKBZ-FM) in Kamloops. Station Program Director Roger White took time to speak to Broadcast Dialogue earlier this week about weathering a year of wildfires and water, on top of the challenges of the pandemic. Also check out The CJN Daily’s interview with CIVL-FM Abbotsford’s Aaron Levy on the University of Fraser Valley campus station’s efforts to keep its listeners informed.
LISTEN: Matty Staudt, the former VP of Podcast Programming for iHeartRadio, returns to the Sound Off Podcast to talk about his new role as Chief Development Officer at New York-headquartered branded podcast company, Amaze Media Labs, which has expanded into Talent, Experiential and Media Buying. Listen on your favourite podcast app or here:
TV & FILM:
CBC documentary Anne Murray: Full Circle, produced by Network Entertainment, in association with Universal Music Canada, will premiere as a special one-night cinema event at 50 select Cineplex theatres across the country on Dec. 2, followed by its exclusive broadcast and streaming launch on CBC TV and CBC Gem on Dec. 17. Anne Murray: Full Circle includes never-before-seen footage from Anne Murray’s personal archives, along with interviews with artists, collaborators, and colleagues, including Shania Twain, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Jann Arden, Kenny Loggins, and Gordon Lightfoot.
Clement Virgo (The Book of Negroes, Billions, The Get Down) will direct Black Cyclone, a new feature drama about the life and career of bicycle racer “Major” Taylor. Inspired by the book “The World’s Fastest Man: The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America’s First Black Sports Hero” by The Washington Post investigative reporter Michael Kranish, Black Cyclone is produced by Minds Eye Entertainment’s Kevin Dewalt. Chris Kirkman, Rashid Bahati, Eric Mika, and Natasha Semone Vassell will serve as executive producers, with Rahsaan Bahati, a 10-time U.S. Pro Champion Cyclist, joining as a consultant for the project. John Howard, a three-time Olympic cyclist, will also act as a consultant and executive producer on the film. Production is set to begin in 2022.
The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) has announced the winner of the 6th YMA Andra Sheffer Scholarship, awarded to an outstanding student who intends to pursue a career in the field of youth content for the screen. This year’s winner is Maia Jae Bastidas, a recent Media Production graduate at Ryerson University. Bastidas is a Toronto-born Ecuadorian/French-Canadian actress whose screen credits include CBS’s Ransom, CW’s In the Dark, and Paramount’s Mayor of Kingstown. She’ll receive accreditation to attend the Kidscreen Summit in Miami, and the Banff World Media Festival in 2022, plus a $4,000 travel grant, in addition to personalized mentoring.
REGULATORY, TELECOM & MEDIA:
The CRTC hearing on the proposed $26 billion acquisition of Shaw Communications by Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) got underway Monday with Edward Rogers and Brad Shaw pledging to honour the legacy of their visionary fathers. Edward Rogers said Canada is no longer an island and while Bell and Telus are the company’s primary competitors in cable, increasingly its competitors are global platforms and brands. RCI is pitching the deal as a way to overcome the challenges of the digital age by enhancing competition in the Prairie provinces and B.C., through a $2.5 billion 5G network investment in the west and investing in IPTV platforms to strengthen the company’s ability to provide an alternative to the global media giants “threatening the business models and sustainability of Canada’s broadcasters and distributors.” RCI says it plans to invest in Canadian programming, including maintaining support for children’s programming by continuing to fund the Shaw Rocket Fund, and growing the CityNews audience in Western markets like Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, where it’s lagged in popularity behind other local news outlets. The hearing has, however, also raised questions about the merger’s potential funding impact on Global News.
BROADCAST TECH & ENGINEERING:
